What’s the best way to learn guitar? No matter which method you choose, or what style of music you want to play, these three rules from guitar teacher Sean L. are sure to put you on the road to success…
Learning guitar can be a daunting task when first approached. For many it is seen as only for the musically adept, but in reality anyone can learn guitar. By following these three simple rules, anyone can become a great guitarist.
1. Set Goals
There is no one path to take for learning guitar and each individual must find their own way. The best way to finding your path is to let your influences guide you. You need to find out why you want to learn the guitar. This will tell you where to put your focus when practicing.
Although being a well rounded guitarist is important, there is nothing wrong with excelling in one aspect of the guitar.
Is your dream to start a punk rock garage band? Awsome! Work on those power chords. Jealous of the campfire hero that always knows the perfect singalong? Then maybe mastering the CAGED system is a good idea for you. Want to play a killer guitar solo to impress your friends? Then get your chops and scales together.
Goal setting comes in two categories:
1. The Big Picture: impressing your friends, starting a band, making a living off of music, and becoming a rock god! These are all examples of goals to set that are not achieved in a day, week, month, or year. These goals should be broken up into a series of mini goals. These mini goals are the second category of goal setting.
2. The (not so) Big Picture: This is where learning the basics will lead to learning more advanced concepts and end up leaving you at your Big Picture goal. Usually by the time you’ve reached this goal you will have a new bigger goal, simply because we are all human, and humans are greedy.
2. Follow a Study Plan
Your study plan would be those mini goals you (or your teacher) set for yourself. Lets take the example of becoming a campfire hero. This goal involves having a large acoustic guitar repertoire (that would be your Big Picture). To achieve that you need a lesson plan that would involve learning your favorite acoustic guitar songs. You need to learn chords and strumming patterns.
3. Stay Motivated
The best way to achieve goals is persistence in your study plan. Guitar has a steep learning curve, but after you develop the basic technical facilities of the instrument learning new things becomes second nature. This is how you stay motivated, achieve realistic goals. The goals can be as simple as learning a G chord, or making that difficult chord change fluently. Keep in mind that having a private instructor can make a huge difference in the speed of your progress. An expert will often know what are the best steps to take to reach your goals.
Learning guitar may become one of life’s most rewarding processes for you, as this creative and emotional outlet promotes confidence and relaxation. It can also open new doors of social interaction. I hope you find joy in your musical journey and wish you the best of luck finding your path to sonic enlightenment.
Sean L. teaches acoustic guitar, guitar and music theory in Methuen, MA. He has received many awards and certifications in the music world is currently working towards his Associates In Music from NECC. Sean has been teaching students since April 2014. Learn more about Sean L. here!
Photo by irish10567
Suzy S.